


Heart of Fire and Ice

by Anonymous



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Dubious Consent, F/F, Handmaiden - Freeform, Slavery, feudal lord
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-15
Updated: 2015-03-15
Packaged: 2018-03-17 23:42:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3548069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The United Forces are the last resistance against the tyranny of the Water Empire. When Asami Sato, a brilliant engineer from Republic City, is captured by the Great Southern Navy, she thinks she is doomed to a public execution or the life of a hostage in a cold dark cell. But when she is taken before Tonraq, Chief of the Water Empire,  she finds herself designated the handmaiden of his daughter Avatar Korra, Lord of the South Pole. The world she has entered is nothing like the one she was born into, and to survive it, she will need all the help she can get, even from the deadly and beautiful Avatar herself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heart of Fire and Ice

 Asami was thrown hard to the ground, the door slamming shut behind her. She laid there, breathing in and out slowly, head resting on cold metal floor, listening to the thrum of the engines. Her father’s company had built this ship. She remembered going over the schematics, remembered the engineer who had come up with the design innovation that made them more efficient than any model previously built. She swallowed hard, holding back tears. Shui was dead now, killed by a Water Empire attack on the prototype ship built with the engines. It had been a merchant ship, not a warship, but they’d destroyed it just the same, and Shui with it.

She wondered if she’d be killed too. She had heard they were headed for the South Pole, the domain of the dreaded Avatar Korra. She didn’t know why they had captured her rather than killed her on the spot. It wasn’t their normal mode of operation at all, to take prisoners, and especially not to take them to the South Pole, so there must be a reason. Maybe she’d been taken as an example? Or (and her heart stopped at this) to be used as a hostage against her father? He was absolutely essential in keeping the United Forces afloat. The only reason they hadn’t been wiped out already was because their weapons technology always outpaced the Water Empire.

Her fists clenched in anger. She hated the idea of being a hostage, being used. She hated feeling weak and vulnerable. She closed her eyes and took a shuddering breath. She wasn’t going to cry. She _would_ find a way out of this, she would not let them win. They’d taken her mother away, and they wouldn’t take her too. She strained at her bonds, but there was no use. With her hands and feet tied, in a ship in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by waterbenders, there was nothing she could do.

If she were to be executed, she would face her fate with pride, her head held tall. She would represent her people and her country honorably. And if she were a hostage, she could begin to plot. Perhaps there would even be a way for her to do something to help the United Republic. After all, few were ever taken to the South Pole. The information she could glean could be invaluable.

But now, it was best to try to get some rest. She hadn’t slept for almost a day, and as uncomfortable as sleeping here was, she was exhausted. Better to face tomorrow with a clear head, whatever tomorrow brought. She closed her eyes, shifted in attempt to get comfortable, and tried to sleep, and for the time, forget.

***

When she woke, she thought for a brief moment she was home. She stayed late at the workshop frequently, and could often be found slumped over her drafting table, having never left the night before. One time Shui had found her half out of her chair; she’d apparently fallen off in the night without waking up. Shui had laughed at her, told her she worked too hard, and handed her a carton of noodles from the shop down the street.

“You work too hard,” she’d said, with that sunny smile she’d always worn.

“Yeah,” Asami said, running her fingers through her hair in an attempt to make it look halfway decent. “You too.”

“Here.” Shui came around behind Asami, pulling her hands from her hair. She gently began to work her own fingers into it, carefully teasing out the knots. When she’d finished, she smoothed her hand over it once, then let it rest on Asami’s shoulder.

“We have something we need to do. But someday, it won’t be like this.” Asami couldn’t see Shui’s face, but she didn’t think she was smiling anymore. She’d known Shui since they were in school together, and she’d always been so bright and happy. Asami felt a sudden anger light inside her. This war had taken away her mother, and now it was taking away Shui’s happiness. They’d gone to school together, and Shui’s smiles had always been so easy back then. But now she only smiled for Asami.

She reached back, putting her hand on top of Shui’s. She’d make a world where Shui could smile again.

Asami shook her head. She wasn’t home, and Shui was dead. Now she faced a dark and uncertain fate in the Water Empire, and she needed to stop dreaming of the past, and face the world that was in front of her right now. She took a deep, steadying breath, and opened her eyes to face the day.

The day was, unfortunately, rather boring. She had expected someone to come for her, to bring food, or maybe just to threaten her, or torture her for information. But now one came, and she stared at the flat steel doors and listened to the engines rumble. She began to run calculations in her head, remembering the design she’d been working on when she’d been captured. An aircraft, one she’d been trying to see if she could make fly farther while using less fuel. If they could fly farther, they’d have an easier time getting supplies in the isolated areas of the other nations not yet entirely controlled by the Water Empire, and she’d been nearing a breakthrough. But she hadn’t been able to get the body quite light enough. Maybe if she—

She started when the door slammed open with a clang. A women and two men stood there, and she recognized the woman from the day before. She was probably the captain of this ship, if Asami was reading the rank tags on her uniform correctly. She’d studied Water Empire military uniforms just in case. It was always best to know as much about your enemy as possible.

“We’re here,” the captain said. “Take her.”

The one of the men walked forward and hefted Asami roughly over his shoulder. She winced in pain as he jostled the bruises from when she’d been captured. She hadn’t realized she’d had that many, but then, she’d fought hard until they’d finally subdued her. She winced again as she was carried into the bright light of day, and as her eyes adjusted, stared in wonder at the shining white expanse she could see out of the corner of her eyes.

As they approached the land, she squinted at the buildings to try to see what they were made of. The sun gleamed off them—some kind of glass, maybe—but then her eyes widened as she noticed the odd blue tint. Were they made of ice? Thinking about it, it made sense, and she’d heard tales from before the Water Empire had existed, when it had simply been the Water Tribe, that this was how they constructed their cities. But she hadn’t expected the designs to be so intricate, arches and whorls covering the buildings, carefully shaped by waterbending masters over the centuries.

She had always feared the Water Empire, and most of all the South Pole. She hadn’t expected it to be quite so beautiful.

Suddenly, she was jostled sharply as the man carrying her walked forward. She’d been so distracted by the architecture she hadn’t noticed they’d arrived.

“Where are we going?” she asked as she was carried down the gangplank onto the dock.

He didn’t answer. She hadn’t really expected he would, but it’d been worth a try. Any information she could get would be valuable.

She considered asking if he knew who she was, but quickly clamped down on the thought. If they didn’t know, then saying something could tip them off. Better to gain any information she could without giving them any herself.

The walk to the palace was long and uncomfortable, but she couldn’t quite say she was relieved when they arrived. She’d hated the staring of the people in the streets, and the obvious signs of the wealth they’d stolen from the other nations. But even as bad as that had been, it still hadn’t seem quite real. Now, as she was set upon the ground in a kneeling position in the throne room, still tied hand and foot, it all seemed terrifyingly real. She’d promised herself she’d face her death proudly, but here, faced with the reality, she wasn’t certain if she had the courage.

No. Her father would not hear that she cried when she was executed. She took a deep breath, and looked up defiantly to meet the eyes of the man sitting on the throne. Tonraq, Chief of the Water Empire.

He smiled at her, and had she not known who he was, she might have thought it kind. “What is your name?”

Then they didn’t know who she was. Asami felt a rush of hope. They couldn’t use her against her father and her nation. But a name, she needed a name—

“My name is Shui,” she said. She hoped it the fear that filtered through her voice was credited to her position, and not the lie she spoke.

“Interesting,” he said. He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. “Fitting you were taken then. Water belongs to the Water Empire.”

Asami swallowed. Despite where she was, and the name she’d given, she found her mouth was dry. She licked her lips, took a breath, and spoke. “What are you going to do with me?”

Tonraq glanced at the captain who’d brought her in, and she nodded once and smiled at him. So she knew what he wanted, had maybe even captured Asami for a specific purpose. But what?

“You will be my daughter’s handmaiden. She requires adequate service here in the South Pole, and I cannot impress upon any of my own citizens for it. It would be unjust.” Asami almost snorted at that. So it was okay to press people into slavery as long as they weren’t your people? But then, she guessed that made a sick sort of sense. After all, if you enslave your own people, they’re more likely to rebel.

But one thing seemed odd. What did he mean by “service”? Certainly he could pay some of his own citizens lavish amounts of money. Wouldn’t they delight in doting on their own beloved princess and Avatar?

“I told you she was a unique beauty,” the ship captain said. Asami’s eyes widened. What did she mean?

“Yes, that she is.” Tonraq favored the captain with a smile. “Korra will be most pleased.” He nodded at a guard. “Take her to be prepared. And cut her bonds. There’s nothing she can do here.” He gave Asami a satisfied smile. “Only a fool would try to fight in the Second City of the Water Empire. And this woman is not a fool.”

Asami glared at him, and hated that he was right. But she knew she could never hurt him, that she’d never get close enough. And Korra was the Avatar. If Asami tried to do her any harm, her powers would protect her. So for now, Asami must survive, whatever that meant.

But she couldn’t quite quench the fear as she was lead down the hall into the icy heart of the palace.

***

The room she was lead to was more welcoming than the hall. Swathes of blue cloth and furs covered the walls, and decorations hung on top of them. It wasn’t a style she was used to, but she had to admit, it was quite pretty, and fit the character of the palace well.

“Sit,” the guard said, gesturing at a chair. Then the guard left, sealing the door with ice behind her.

And now what was she supposed to do? There didn’t seem to be anything but to sit and wait. The room, despite the decorations, was fairly bare, a few chairs, a table, a storage cabinet, and an armoire. She glanced back at the sealed entryway. Should she get up?

She shoved herself to her feet. She didn’t need to be the meek and obedient flower. What were they going to do to her now, simply for standing and walking around the room? She crossed over to the armoire and pulled the doors open.

Inside, there were a profusion of outfits, many blue, but also red, green, and yellow. She fingered the fabric on a red dress idly, the soft silk slipping through her fingers. She’d worn a dress like this the last night when she’d seen Shui, and they’d gone out dancing. She closed her eyes, remembering the bright lights of Republic City at night, and Shui’s equally bright smile—

“That one would suit you well.” She started, and turned to see an older woman smiling at her, and a younger woman standing next to her. When had they come in? She looked towards the door, and noticed a slight change in the pattern of the water. They must have entered while she was looking at the dress.

“Now,” the older woman continued, “I’m Ila, and this is my daughter, Kunik.” The younger women nodded at her. “We will be preparing you for your presentation to Avatar Korra.”

Preparing her?

“You can’t meet the Avatar looking like that,” Kunik said flatly. “You may be a beautiful woman, but you smell, you’re dressed in rags, and your hair is a mess.” Ila sighed and shook her head in exasperation at her daughter.

Asami thought she rather liked Ila more than Kunik. She knew she wasn’t looking her best right now, but really, who could blame her, when she’d just been kidnapped?

“Now, young lady, Kunik will see to your bath, while I prepare your clothes and make-up,” Ils said, making a shooing motion. Kunik’s fingers tightened on Asami’s arm as she led her towards the other side of the room, pushing aside a tapestry and dragging Asami into a room she hadn’t noticed before.

Inside, there was an elaborate bath with steam rising from it. She wondered how they did it, in this icy palace.

“There’s a hot spring below,” Kunik said smugly. “All the palace baths are heated. Now strip.”

Was Kunik going to stay here as well? Considering that she was staring at Asami and not moving, it seemed likely. Sighing, Asami began to pull off her clothes. They were stained with sweat and blood from the fight, and they did reek. She dropped them onto the floor and headed towards the bath. As Asami stepped into the she noticed with a start that Kunik was also removing her clothing. The bath was huge, and the water came up to just below Asami’s breasts. She walked away from the steps and eyed Kunik warily.

Kunik met her eyes, then walked over to where she was standing, setting a few supplies on the edge of the tub. Then she stepped right in and turned to Asami.

“Stay still,” she said.

“What are you doing?” Asami watched as Kunik opened one of the containers she’d brought with her. “I can wash myself.”

“Hmm. Can’t trust you northern savages to do it right. Stay.” She grabbed Asami’s shoulder, fingernails digging into her skin. Asami closed her eyes, remembering her self-defense training. She was sure she could overpower Kunik, could run. She took a deep breath. What would be the point, though? She wanted them to think she was docile, that she wasn’t dangerous. The less they knew about her skills the better. She forced herself to relax, and Kunik removed her hand from Asami’s shoulder and began to lather shampoo in her hair.

The touch felt foreign and invasive, and Asami repressed a shudder. No one had washed her hair for her since her mother had died, and Kunik’s hands were nothing like her mother’s, roughly scraping against her scalp and pulling at her hair. When Kunik pulled particularly hard on Asami’s hair, it took everything in her not to retaliate.

“Down,” Kunik said. Gritting her teeth, Asami complied, ducking her head under the water to rinse out the shampoo. When she surfaced, Kunik was sitting on the side of the bath. She stood as Asami watched.

“Out,” she said. Asami considered the stairs at the edge of the tub, but thought that might earn more mockery from Kunik. So she placed her palms on the side and heaved herself out.

Much to her surprise, Kunik laughed. “You really are a pretty one. Avatar Korra is lucky.” Kunik was blatantly staring at her breasts, and Asami crossed her arms over her chest. This, unfortunately, had the effect of making Kunik laugh even harder.

“If you have it,” she said with a sly grin, “why not show it off?”

Asami suppressed the urge to punch her as Kunik began to lather up her body. Luckily, despite her lewd comments, she mostly did not linger over Asami’s skin, with the exception of perhaps paying rather too much attention to her breasts.

“They’re your best feature,” Kunik chuckled in her ear. Asami fervently hoped she never had to see Kunik again.

***

Luckily, the bath was soon over, and back in the company of Ila, Kunik was more restrained. Ila went through a number of dresses before finally deciding on the red silk Asami had been examining earlier. She had to admit, it felt glorious against her skin, and when she looked in the mirror as Ila began to work on her makeup, it suited her.

“Red is such a good color on you,” Ila cooed, fussing over Asami’s hair. “I’ll make sure you have multiple outfits in it. Though I think a nice spring green would be lovely as well, it would bring out your eyes. Do you have Earth Kingdom heritage, then?”

“Yes,” Asami said. Ila had finally finished, and had stepped back, admiring her work, while Kunik leered from a corner. Asami brushed a finger under her eye, and thought of her mother. “My grandparents were from there.”

“How lovely,” Ila said. “Do you ever go back and visit?”

Was this woman, one of her captors, truly trying to make small talk with her? Well, if nothing else, this was certainly better than Kunik’s conversation.

“No,” Asami said. She didn’t voice her reason. Ila should know, and from her silence, Asami thought it was clear she understood. She glanced up, and saw Ila giving her a sympathetic look. When Ila met her eyes, she gave her a small smile, and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. And suddenly, that one act of sympathy made her angrier than she had been all day, angrier than she’d been at the callous guards, the cruel chief, at Kunik’s crude comments. How could Ila, working for the man who had destroyed Asami’s life, dare to be sympathetic?

Asami stood abruptly, shoving off Ila’s hands and walking angrily to the door. She knew it would be fruitless, but she all the anger she’d been suppressing since her capture was welling up inside her. She couldn’t take this, being petted on and prodded and treated like a thing and then after all that being treated like she was a person, when she so clearly had nothing but material value to these people. She clenched her hand into a fist, and punched the door in fruitless frustration.

Or she would have, if not at that exact moment, the door opened, ice shifting into water and condensing into a design at the side of the door. She overbalanced, toppling forward into the arms of the individual who had opened the door, who caught her with an ‘oomph’ of surprise.

When she looked up, she met a pair of very blue eyes, framed by two tails of hair on either side of her face.

“Hello,” the woman said, smiling down at her. “I’m Korra.”


End file.
